Covid19 Spare time

Donstar · February 25

"Woodwork and/or "Shop" class were my prime motivators to keep me in school. I did not spend a lot of time employed in a trade but valued the life long skills learned in my youth. A couple of days ago my wife ordered chair side cabinets for both of our recliners. These are narrow cabinets, chair height with a shelf, two drawers, and a power/usb station. As feared, they arrived in an oversized shoebox and took several hours to assemble. The finished products look good but none of the skills learned in my youth came into play. All I needed was time and the ability to follow pictures in numerical order. The pride associated with the completion of such a project is equivalent to that of a jigsaw puzzle! Neither of these activities I enjoy, but I may have saved a few dollars on the furniture!

diyer2 · February 25

Don,

That type of furniture is known as RTA, Ready To Assemble. When I assemble RTA I use wood glue on all joints. Much soldier and stable and will not loosen up. I also use Gorilla wood glue.

Use a damp sponge, rag to remove glue that squeezes out from the joints.

Grumpy Bear · February 25

13 hours ago, Donstar said:

"Woodwork and/or "Shop" class were my prime motivators to keep me in school. I did not spend a lot of time employed in a trade but valued the life long skills learned in my youth. A couple of days ago my wife ordered chair side cabinets for both of our recliners. These are narrow cabinets, chair height with a shelf, two drawers, and a power/usb station. As feared, they arrived in an oversized shoebox and took several hours to assemble. The finished products look good but none of the skills learned in my youth came into play. All I needed was time and the ability to follow pictures in numerical order. The pride associated with the completion of such a project is equivalent to that of a jigsaw puzzle! Neither of these activities I enjoy, but I may have saved a few dollars on the furniture!

Similar experience in metal shop. During my time it was all manual. No such thing as CNC or CAD. Lathe, Milling machines, horizontal and vertical. Shaper. Jig bore. Surface grinders. Stick, gas and TIG welding and a foundry. I did it all and quite well. To get this class you had to have drafting beforehand. I took more classes at a Junior College getting several certifications. Thought it would not be my life's work. As it turned out I got into Refining where I obtained additional pay for qualifying for most Aid and Proficiency levels in Maintenace and got extra assignments running crews during Turnarounds. This also got me into the machine shop at Getty to learn advanced machine lapping and optical flats and optical comparator use, surface finish measuring equipment, stats (thank you JSW) and other sorted useful talents. But as much as I loved the feel and precision of metal, I did not make it my stock and trade. I continued to work where needed as a "Fixer", Operator, Teacher and acquired instrument, computer and electrical qualifications. I used those skills to bid on jobs and get into Management, QC and Research.

After I retired a friend who has a machining business that does CNC on volume and who also buys and sells older machines started taking on jobs of complex shapes but very low volume. Ones and twos. At 55 I finally put that life experience to work in a shop doing one off work where the cost of CNC programing was prohibitive to the assignment, but larger contracts hinged on getting it ALL done.

He loved my work. Didn't like the speed being a CNC guy. :crackup: He really had no complaint and knew it. I worked for peanuts. Put me on the CNC machines and I lasted about a summer before I was so bored I dreaded going to work. So, I retired-retired and bought some machines for home. Which now just sit there. :rolleyes:

Edited February 26 by Grumpy Bear

KARNUT · February 25

I had auto shop. I used to let them learn on my car. I had a 68 Chevy Impala at the time. We did duals and 2-4 bbl conversion on it in that shop. The teacher was a blast.

Donstar · March 6

I usually keep my motorcycle insured throughout the year. The winter months can offer some good riding opportunities but typically my bike (trike) stays in the garage for most of the winter. Insurance renewal came up this week for my truck and bile. This is a significant financial hit. The bike insurance is 40% more than the truck. Adding to the stress is my wife gets no pleasure from riding so my toy was under intense scrutiny. (My wife is super but my guilt is huge) I compromised and have decided to wait a little while longer to insure my bike and then buy 6 months worth of insurance. I will re-evaluate afterwards. What does this have to do with Covid spare time and retirement? The 2020 Freewheeler and the custom trailer that it sits on are a product of filling an inordinate amount of free time. My wife can spend hours in conversation with others, organizing our nest or reading, while "playing" in the garage is my go to activity! Covid gave many people a taste of retirement living and an appreciation that there is a lot more to retirement living than not having to go to work!

KARNUT · March 6

52 minutes ago, Donstar said:

I usually keep my motorcycle insured throughout the year. The winter months can offer some good riding opportunities but typically my bike (trike) stays in the garage for most of the winter. Insurance renewal came up this week for my truck and bile. This is a significant financial hit. The bike insurance is 40% more than the truck. Adding to the stress is my wife gets no pleasure from riding so my toy was under intense scrutiny. (My wife is super but my guilt is huge) I compromised and have decided to wait a little while longer to insure my bike and then buy 6 months worth of insurance. I will re-evaluate afterwards. What does this have to do with Covid spare time and retirement? The 2020 Freewheeler and the custom trailer that it sits on are a product of filling an inordinate amount of free time. My wife can spend hours in conversation with others, organizing our nest or reading, while "playing" in the garage is my go to activity! Covid gave many people a taste of retirement living and an appreciation that there is a lot more to retirement living than not having to go to work!

I from being in a family business and building that business from scratch. Working especially the first 20 years from dark to dark then driving up to 100 miles home. By the time I retired at 58 after being bought out by my brother. With what would be considered normal working hours was equivalent to working until I was 70 years old. At least according to how my body felt. It still took about a year to ease into retirement. During that year I did Uber for something to do. I eased into retirement and started to enjoy free time. As you age if you work around the yard and take on some of the chores your wife did for you. Like your own laundry as I did. You find yourself busy. Spending money on myself is hard for me too. Now days it’s just my personal vehicle the avalanche. Being a little OCD I justify it because I do my own mowing and yard work. It’s not about the money everything has to go into a box. When I can’t do yard work anymore I probably won’t be able to drive. So it will level out. I’m 10 years in to retirement now and having a blast.

Donstar · March 20

For the past three days I've tried to get to the garage to change the oil in my trike! I wonder why bother because I don't know when I'm going to find time to ride!! This is a good problem to have because striving to achieve a goal keeps me active and motivated. I appreciate how lucky I am to be excited to get my day started. I say this because I was invited in to a friend's home yesterday and listened to woes of boredom and sadness. This person has goals and dreams that will never happen because of his age and bank account. Of course he's frustrated. I told him I couldn't stay long because I'm hoping to give my bike an oil change today. His response was, "Take it to a shop." This single guy has a house cleaner, people to do his lawn/garden, and family who takes care of his other needs. He has left himself with too much spare time with nothing to do and wonders why he is bored. It can be a real challenge getting old but setting realistic goals and expectations will make senior years much more rewarding!!

KARNUT · March 20

56 minutes ago, Donstar said:

For the past three days I've tried to get to the garage to change the oil in my trike! I wonder why bother because I don't know when I'm going to find time to ride!! This is a good problem to have because striving to achieve a goal keeps me active and motivated. I appreciate how lucky I am to be excited to get my day started. I say this because I was invited in to a friend's home yesterday and listened to woes of boredom and sadness. This person has goals and dreams that will never happen because of his age and bank account. Of course he's frustrated. I told him I couldn't stay long because I'm hoping to give my bike an oil change today. His response was, "Take it to a shop." This single guy has a house cleaner, people to do his lawn/garden, and family who takes care of his other needs. He has left himself with too much spare time with nothing to do and wonders why he is bored. It can be a real challenge getting old but setting realistic goals and expectations will make senior years much more rewarding!!

I go for walks most everyday. It’s supposed to make you healthier. Otherwise I wouldn’t do it. I like driving there. I take care of my yard because I don’t want to pay someone else to do it. I set my goals to be finished daily at noon. About the time my wife starts her errands. I like our trips every 3 months. It was to Fayetteville, but my father in law just passed. I’m glad I had that time. My favorite all time thing to do is watch tv from my couch. Every thing else is a chore. I do it for reasons. I like doing nothing, absolutely nothing. Board never! Too much to reminisce about, lots to see outside. I love doing nothing. I want more nothing.

customboss · March 20

39 minutes ago, KARNUT said:

I go for walks most everyday. It’s supposed to make you healthier. Otherwise I wouldn’t do it. I like driving there. I take care of my yard because I don’t want to pay someone else to do it. I set my goals to be finished daily at noon. About the time my wife starts her errands. I like our trips every 3 months. It was to Fayetteville, but my father in law just passed. I’m glad I had that time. My favorite all time thing to do is watch tv from my couch. Every thing else is a chore. I do it for reasons. I like doing nothing, absolutely nothing. Board never! Too much to reminisce about, lots to see outside. I love doing nothing. I want more nothing.

Sorry for your families loss and respect to the retired Master Sergeant.

KARNUT · March 20

9 minutes ago, customboss said:

Sorry for your families loss and respect to the retired Master Sergeant.

Actually it was Sergeant Major. He got pneumonia again. He requested Hospice he was ready. He led a full happy life, he will be missed. Thank you. Funny tidbit. He was a Rush Limbaugh Republican. His wife was a Hillary Democrat. They agreed to disagree. Politics weren’t discussed.

customboss · March 21

6 hours ago, KARNUT said:

Actually it was Sergeant Major. He got pneumonia again. He requested Hospice he was ready. He led a full happy life, he will be missed. Thank you. Funny tidbit. He was a Rush Limbaugh Republican. His wife was a Hillary Democrat. They agreed to disagree. Politics weren’t discussed.

xeron xert · March 24

On 4/11/2020 at 6:07 PM, Donstar said:

The current crisis has impacted everyone and has created changes in our daily routines. Many of us have exercised preventative measures now, like limiting our work or trips away from our homes, for a couple of months. I appreciate my good fortune and know my greatest hardships pale in comparison to the majority of individuals around the planet. With this being said, I suspect that most people following this forum are like me and share similar fortunes. If you are struggling with who to blame or whether we're over/under reacting there are threads on this forum where people can express their concerns. I would like to share some highlights as to what many of us our doing with the extra time generated by this crisis. For example: I've been in my current house for six years. Up until this week, we have only been able to fit my motorcycle in our two car garage. Now a car can fit alongside my motorcycle! I take pride in my tool collection, but they are of little use when I can't find what I need! My wife gets out of bed every morning with a goal to help a neighbour or friend who is less lucky. Today she is preparing Easter meals to deliver to loved ones tomorrow. With the caveat that we know this pandemic is a terrible crisis, what are you doing for personal wellness? For nursing students, exploring various research paper topics is essential for their academic and professional growth. Websites like https://www.nursingpaper.com/blog/nursing-research-paper-topics/ offer a plethora of ideas that can spark creativity and provide direction for their studies. Delving into these topics not only enhances their knowledge but also equips them with the critical thinking skills necessary to tackle real-world healthcare challenges. It’s a valuable resource for any nursing student seeking to excel in their field.

reading books

Edited March 27 by xeron xert

Grumpy Bear · March 24

3 hours ago, xeron xert said:

reading books

Bible is a book

Donstar · March 24

Immersing yourself in a good book is a popular way to spend free time. My education and subsequent career found me doing a great deal of reading, but I don't read as a leisure activity in retirement. Research and teaching myself new skills have also found me buried in a book however Google and YouTube has largely taken over! Grumpy will be happy to know that I spent hours combing through our family version of the Good Book this past week. My mother kept a record of family births, deaths and marriages in the book and I needed to solve a family disagreement. I was shocked when I found notes to me and my brother written by mum before she died 12 years ago. She knew that some day I'd crack this book! (again)